Capture dropped frames ick!

[Simmerheli]

Hi All:

I'm beginning to think that there must a better solution in preventing dropped frames during capture other then what I've been using for the last few years.

My Setup:
Desktop PC: 3.6GHz, 2Gig RAM, 1394 OHCI, 750Gig 7200 RPM HD --> defragged
Laptop: 2.0GHz, 1Gig RAM, 1394 OHCI, 60Gig 7200 RPM HD --> defragged
Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge: Never been too pleased with this device really.
Capture/Edit Package: Sony Vegas 5

Sometimes I can seem to be able to capture whole movies from my DVR unit without any dropped frames, while at other times I can't seem to capture even a 30 minute program I've recorded on my DVR without dropping frames.

Isn't there some solution out there that folks like that provides considerable consistency in preventing the dreaded dropped-frame thing?

Thanks

-Mike

P.S. I've never been pleased with the Dazzle Hollywood DV Birdge. It seems to just occasionally drop off the 1394 bus for no apparent reason.
Perhaps a Canopus device would be better??????

[lordsmurf]

Use WinDV, not Vegas, to transfer.

[Simmerheli]

Thanks for your response:

Yes, I've been looking into WinDV. The buffering feature seems to indicate that this should help frame-dropping issues.

Does anyone know if WinDV limits the output size or can I capture 2-3 hour AVI segments?

Thanks

-Mike

[gadgetguy]

You can set the file size in WinDV so it can record everything in one big file or break it into manageable sizes. It can also be set to break on changes in the timecode to create seperate files for each "scene" on not. It will only capsfer to DV-AVI so it will not try to encode on the fly which can often lead to dropped frames. I find it to be an excellent utility that I use all the time.

[edDV]

Hi All:

I'm beginning to think that there must a better solution in preventing dropped frames during capture other then what I've been using for the last few years.

My Setup:
Desktop PC: 3.6GHz, 2Gig RAM, 1394 OHCI, 750Gig 7200 RPM HD --> defragged ...

If you are doing all this to one HDD then that is the source of your problem. Get a second smaller drive for the OS and programs. Then capture (transfer DV) to your big drive. Currently the OS and other tasks are taking priority on the drive causing your drops.

When forced to use a single drive (e.g. notebook) you need to shut down background tasks including virus scan and tightly control OS processes.

[Simmerheli]

Thanks all for your responses.

I will try WinDV.

The desktop has 2 internal 250Gig 7200 RPM drives. I will insure to capture to the non system HD and see how that turns out.

When I've attempted to capture to the laptop, I do always disable virus scan and all superfluous background tasks so perhaps something else is happening there.

Has anyone discovered cable quality to be an issue much? Are thicker 1394 cables less prone to error then not-so thick (perhaps shielding issues)? Any ideas?

Thanks again

-Mike

[edDV]

...
Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge: Never been too pleased with this device really.

I think this may be the issue. Read the user experiences.

See if you can borrow a DV camcorder (Digital8 or MiniDV) or another DV capture device. Try those for DV stream transfer to test your computer and software.

It's a process of elimination.

[royphil345]

I've never had much luck with capturing devices that lacked a built-in hardware encoder. Especially outboard ones (USB or 1934) Even with a fast computer... too much can go wrong.

Recording to a separate hard-drive and shutting down any unnecessary programs running in the background would definitely help.

My Hauppuage PVR-250 has given me 100% reliable captures with low resource usage on the computer (can even play computer games while recording with no ill effects). Captures at DVD quality or better look good. Can be quality issues recording at lower qualities, especially from a source that has already been digitally converted and quality lowered. VERY high quality real-time digital conversion is still just a dream, in the lower price-ranges at least.